CEPII

What CEPII does

CEPII (Centre d'Études Prospectives et d'Informations Internationales) is a French applied economic research institute founded in 1978 and operating under the auspices of Sciences Po, headquartered in Paris. It specializes in international economics, producing independent, non-partisan analysis on topics including trade and globalization, competitiveness, emerging economies, the environment, European economic integration, migration, and monetary policy. CEPII's core products are three proprietary databases — BACI (bilateral trade flows at the product level), Gravity (gravity model variables), and CHELEM (world economy indicators) — complemented by the Visual Data interactive platform and an extensive publication portfolio (La Lettre du CEPII, Working Papers, Policy Briefs, Panorama, and the annual L'économie mondiale). The institute maintains a bilingual (French/English) research dissemination operation with presence in Spanish, distributing outputs through its website, blog, RSS feeds, Vimeo, Bluesky, and third-party platforms (Nomics, ShinyApps).

CEPII's business model is non-commercial: the institute is publicly funded through institutional and government sources, and all research outputs are provided free of charge to policymakers, academics, media, and business professionals. Its primary customer segments are French and European policymakers (including parliamentarians who formally consult CEPII via Senate and National Assembly hearings), academic researchers and universities, media organizations seeking expert commentary, and business professionals using its economic intelligence. Database distribution occurs partly through partners such as Nomics for CHELEM.

The most significant development on CEPII's horizon is the announced merger with OFCE (Observatoire Français des Conjonctures Économiques), scheduled for July 1, 2026, which will create a new unified applied economic research center under Sciences Po intended to become a reference voice for French and European economic debate. The identity of the merged entity will be announced separately.

Name

CEPII

Legal name

Centre d'Études Prospectives et d'Informations Internationales

Website

https://cepii.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CEPII is a French applied economic research institute under Sciences Po, founded in 1978, that produces independent analysis and proprietary trade databases (BACI, Gravity, CHELEM) for policymakers, academics, media, and business professionals, free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

CEPII is a French applied economic research institute that produces independent, non-partisan analysis on the world economy and disseminates it through proprietary international trade databases (BACI, Gravity, CHELEM), an interactive Visual Data platform, and a publication suite (La Lettre du CEPII, Working Papers, Policy Briefs, Panorama country/region profiles and the annual L'économie mondiale). Its outputs are aimed at policymakers, parliamentarians, academics, media and economic professionals.

Product overview

CEPII is a French economic research institute offering a unified research and data platform focused on international economics. The core offering consists of trade databases (CHELEM, BACI, Gravity Database), analytical tools (Visual Data dashboards, Profils Pays/Régions), and a comprehensive publication suite (La Lettre du CEPII, Working Papers, Policy Briefs, Panorama). Content is distributed through multiple channels including a bilingual blog platform, RSS feeds, newsletter subscriptions, and third-party platforms (Nomics, ShinyApps). The organization focuses on research areas including trade and globalization, competitiveness, emerging economies, environment, Europe, migration, monetary policy, and economic policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHELEM Database International trade database covering bilateral trade flows with comprehensive data on imports, exports and trade balances between countries across multiple product categories; accessible via the Nomics platform (db.nomics.world/CEPII).
• BACI Database Bilateral international trade database managed by CEPII economist Pierre Cotterlaz, providing detailed international trade statistics at the product level using a unified classification system.
• Gravity Database Database supporting gravity-model analysis of international trade, containing bilateral trade flow data together with geographical, cultural and institutional variables such as distance, contiguity, common language and trade agreements.
• Visual Data Platform Interactive data visualization platform hosted on ShinyApps, providing dashboards on trade relationships including the EU-USA trade dashboard showing bilateral trade balances, sector exposures and trade protection metrics.
• La Lettre du CEPII Monthly newsletter publishing accessible analysis on major economic policy issues for policymakers, academics and the broader public.
• CEPII Working Papers Series of working papers presenting original empirical and theoretical research in international economics, published for citation by the academic community.
• CEPII Policy Briefs Short policy-oriented analyses addressing current economic policy debates, intended for policymakers and economic decision-makers.
• Panorama - Profils Pays et Régions du CEPII Country and Region Profiles providing statistical indicators, database references and nomenclatures for economic analysis across nations and regions (e.g., Panorama 'Les Profils Pays du CEPII: indicateurs, bases et nomenclatures').
• L'économie mondiale (Annual World Economy Outlook) Annual reference book on the state of the world economy, published by La Découverte, accompanied by the world economy database, with an annual launch event (e.g., presentation of 'L'économie mondiale 2027' on 9 September 2026).
• Le Blog du CEPII

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OFCE (Observatoire Français des Conjonctures Économiques): French applied economic research institute under Sciences Po focused on macroeconomic forecasting, policy analysis, and economic debate; CEPII's stated merger partner as of July 1, 2026, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Bruegel: Brussels-based European economic policy think tank producing independent analysis on international economics, trade, and European integration; highly comparable as a European applied-economics research outlet serving policymakers and media.
• Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE): Washington-based think tank focused on international economics, trade policy, and macroeconomics with a strong publication and policy-testimony model; highly comparable as a non-partisan economic research voice addressing global economic policy.
• CEPR (Centre for Economic Policy Research): European network of economists producing research on applied economics, trade, and policy; comparable as an independent, academically grounded economic research community whose outputs shape European policy debate.
• ifo Institute: Munich-based economic research institute publishing analyses, surveys (ifo Business Climate), and working papers on trade, macroeconomics, and policy; structurally analogous as a publicly funded European economic research center with academic ties.
• DIW Berlin (German Institute for Economic Research): Berlin-based economic research institute producing applied economic research, weekly economic reports, and policy analysis; comparable as an independent, applied-economics research center serving policymakers and the public.
• KOF Swiss Economic Institute (ETH Zurich): Swiss economic research and forecasting institute focused on global economic conditions, trade, and policy; comparable as an academic-anchored European economic research center producing data and applied analysis.
• ZEW Centre for European Economic Research: Mannheim-based economic research institute working on industrial economics, finance, and European policy evaluation; comparable as a publicly funded applied-economics research center producing working papers and policy reports.
• IZA (Institute of Labor Economics): Bonn-based international economics research network focused on labor and applied microeconomics; comparable as an independent, academically grounded European research organization producing working papers and policy briefs.

Broad incumbents

• Brookings Institution (Economic Studies program): Large, established US and global policy research institution with a long-running Economic Studies program covering international economics and trade; comparable as a widely cited economic policy research voice, but broader in scope than CEPII and not focused solely on international economics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cepii_paris
• YouTubevimeo.com/cepii
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cepii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CEPII